|
First Congregational Church of Stratford offers you many different types of fellowship opportunities from volunteer work to social activities. The easiest and quickest way to meet people at our church is to just join in!
Bible Study
At FCC, we hope we never stop learning how to live as disciples. We encourage continuing faith journeys through a variety of bible studies, book groups and 2nd hour programs. These studies vary in their focus, from specific bible books, to special topics such as “What good is faith anyway” or an in depth reading of “The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe” timed to end with the premier of the movie.
Committee Work
While our church has a ministerial and administrative/operating staff, much of the work of our church is accomplished through volunteer boards and committees. Many of the boards and committees are mandated by our church’s constitution: the Church Council, the Board of Trustees, the Board of Deacons, the Board of Christian Education, the Board of Benevolence and Social Concerns, the Music Committee, the Stewardship Committee, the Pastoral Relations Committee and the Nominating Committee. To serve on one of these boards or committees, or in any other formal position of the church, you must be a member of our church.
However, there are many other volunteer opportunities at our church which do not require church membership. Each year, we seek volunteers to act as Sunday School teachers and Youth Group advisors, to help cook and serve our Lenten Fish Suppers, to create crafts and run booths at our annual church fair or help our ad-hoc public relations and marketing committee. If you have a special skill or just the desire to participate in a group activity with a Christian purpose, we have a place for you in our church.
Social Activities
There are many opportunities for social interaction at First Congregational Church. Two of our most active groups are the Women’s Service League (WSL) and MOSAIC (Mothers of School Age and Infant Children). The WSL offers a mix of volunteer opportunities and programming. In the past two years, WSL offered sellout entertainment in the form of a formal high tea (complete with elegant door prizes and an informative talk about tea) and a Victorian Ice Cream Social.
MOSAIC offers mothers an opportunity to gather each month at a member’s home for appetizers and good conversation. This is a highly informal group with a focus on fun and an occasional fund raiser. MOSAIC is only two years old and enjoys a regular influx of new faces.
We also have a number of small groups with specific interests such as our knitting group. This group has produced a number of prayer shawls for our members in need to remind them that our church is praying and thinking of them.
Through out the year there are other social activities: the highly popular Valentine’s Dinner sponsored by the Music Committee which features a somewhat impromptu talent show by adventurous members; the all church picnic which kicks off our Sunday School year, and the newly reinstated all church retreat (a fun-filled weekend away at Silver Lake Conference Center in Sharon, CT).
Outreach
Our church participates in a number of outreach activities throughout the year. Our Board of Benevolence and Social Concerns is financially responsible for our church’s benevolent commitments. Among other organizations, we support seminaries, local hospices, the Greater Bridgeport Council of Churches and a mission in Zambia. In addition, the Board sponsors work days with Habitat for Humanity or Bethlehem House. We also maintain a relationship with a social worker from the Connecticut Department of Children and Families. Through this Covenant to Care program, we try to meet the needs of families and children facing hardship and disruption of their daily lives.
Our Caregivers program is a hugely effective outreach program where over twenty of us support our elderly and shut in members – making phone calls, sending cards, providing transportation to appointments and generally keeping contact with those in need of a human touch. The Caregivers also organize our prayer chain for those in need.
Another integral part of our outreach program is our Parish Nurse program. Our Parish nurses provide monthly blood pressure screenings, flu vaccinations, informational programs on various health topics and act as a general resource to our members on health related issues.